Teardown of 38mm Apple Watch Sport Reveals 205 mAh Battery, Taptic Engine
iFixit is currently in the process of tearing down a 38mm Apple Watch Sport after the device launched in Australia today. While it is still early in the teardown process, the team has found that disconnecting the display from the body can be a little difficult, similar to the troublesome Touch ID cable on the iPhone 5s.
Behind the display, two of the most significant features of the Apple Watch are easily viewable in the Taptic Engine and Digital Crown. Also inside is the tiny 3.8V 205 mAh battery, which iFixit notes is “lightly adhered” and easy to remove. Apple has said the 42mm Apple Watch will generally have slightly longer battery life than the 38mm model, so we expect the larger Apple Watch will have a higher-capacity battery filling up the extra space inside the casing.
iFixit’s teardown is still in progress and this post will be updated as additional discoveries are made.
First Impressions of Apple Watch: Incredibly Comfortable, Unique and Easy Setup
While the first Apple Watch reviews published over two weeks ago, the devices are now making their way onto customers’ wrists, allowing us to see broader first impressions of Apple’s first new product since 2010’s iPad.
Image via MacRumors forum user SallyG
Several posters in our forums have pointed out an unboxing experience fairly unique to new Apple products as it appears that the traditional Apple stickers are not included with the packaging. Additionally, several posters have reported receiving emails notifying them that they can schedule an online Personal Setup where Apple will, through a video session, walk a user through setting up the Apple Watch and pairing it with their iPhone.
Another aspect of the Watch that users are noticing is how comfortable it is to wear. One user on Whirlpool pointed out that while he was originally going to use the sport band for exercise, he thinks its nice enough to wear regularly. One MacRumors reader told us that the Watch is indeed comfortable to wear with the build quality being “perfect”, but that he found the sports band slightly awkward to put on at first.
I have a 42mm Apple Watch Sports in Space Grey. Watch is incredibly comfy. However the [black sports band] feels backwards to me, the holes and the pin make it slightly awkward to do up. I’m sure I’ll get used to this. Setup was simple and intuitive, asked me if I wanted to transfer all my current apple watch apps across during the process.
Other bands that have seen favorable impressions include the Milanese Loop, which also has a post dedicated to its unboxing in the MacRumors forums. Other early impressions include users finding certain less advertised features of the Apple Watch, such as the “Ping” feature that allows users to ping their iPhone from their Watch, to be very useful.
Finally, while most users are reporting easy setup and pairing processes, some are having difficulty pairing their iPhone and Apple Watch, with the Watch not displaying the needed pairing code. Others are noting that syncing a 1 GB music playlist is taking longer than desired.
For ongoing coverage of photos and first impressions, readers are welcome to follow our Apple Watch impressions threads in our Apple Watch forum.
Apple Watches Shipping to Customers Confirmed to Have Covered Diagnostic Port [iOS Blog]
Early Apple Watch models were found to have a hidden diagnostic port used to allow Apple engineers to diagnose problems with the devices, but reports at the time were unsure if the feature would be included in models shipping out to consumers. Apple Watches have now arrived in Australia, giving us our first opportunity to further investigate the diagnostic port.
MacRumors reader MrLaforge has received his Space Gray Apple Watch Sport and has taken high-quality pictures of the casing, giving us a look at what appears to be the diagnostic port hidden underneath a cover. The port’s cover looks a lot like the SIM card slot on an iPhone 6, and it appears that it might open in a similar way, giving Apple employees a way to run diagnostics on the Apple Watch when it’s brought in for service.
The same covered diagnostic port was also present in Apple Watches provided to media sites for Apple Watch reviews earlier this month. At Apple Stores, devices on display have the same ports, but they remain uncovered, presumably to make it easier for employees to continually monitor and adjust settings on the devices.
A report from TechCrunch has speculated that this diagnostic port could also potentially be used for smart band accessories in the future, but it is unclear if that is something that Apple is planning on introducing.
Customers Lining Up At Boutiques Carrying Apple Watch Ahead of Launch
The Apple Watch isn’t going to be available for sale tomorrow in Apple’s retail stores, but there are a select handful of high-end fashion boutiques around the world that will be offering various Apple Watch models for sale.
One of the stores, Maxfield, is located in Los Angeles, and people are already lining up outside the store in the hopes of getting an Apple Watch on launch day. Maxfield is the only store in the United States that have the Apple Watch in stock on April 24.
Line at Maxfield LA, image via Alidir8
Other stores that will have Apple Watch stock tomorrow include Dover Street Market in Tokyo and London, Colette in Paris, The Corner in Berlin, and 10 Corso Como in Milan. It is not known how much stock each of these stores has available, but according to Dover Street Market’s CEO, the Tokyo location will have 350 watches available for purchase, while Dover Street Market in London will have 570. Neither store is expected to have the Apple Watch Edition, but beyond that models in stock are unknown.
Though Apple’s retail stores are not offering the Apple Watch for sale, there appears to be some confusion among customers. At Apple Stores in Australia, there were customers lining up outside of stores in the hopes of getting an Apple Watch.
According to Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts, Apple Watch orders may not be available in stores for a month or longer as the company works to get all pre-orders delivered. Apple is getting orders out rapidly, however, and many customers who had 4 to 6 week shipping dates will be getting their devices tomorrow.
First Apple Watch Deliveries Begin in Australia
It’s now April 24 in Australia, and Australian customers who pre-ordered Apple Watches are beginning to receive their watch deliveries, according to numerous posts on Instagram, Twitter, and various Internet forums, including the MacRumors forums. Unboxing videos and early first impressions should begin trickling out soon.
Image via melfirbank
Customers in other first wave launch countries will begin receiving their shipments as soon as local delivery companies open for the day. After Australia, orders in Hong Kong, China, and Japan will go out, followed by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Apple Watch orders in the United States will start arriving at approximately 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
Apple Watch orders began shipping out earlier this week. Initial shipments seemed to be limited to customers who pre-ordered early, but later in the week, customers who originally had 4 to 6 week shipping estimates were surprised with early shipping times. Apple has said that many customers can expect to see their Apple Watches arrive earlier than expected, but an April 24 delivery date remains in question for some orders, as there are customers who pre-ordered early and have not yet received shipping information.
Apple will not be carrying the Apple Watch in its retail stores tomorrow as orders have been limited to online only, but several high-end fashion boutiques around the world have a limited amount of stock for purchase. These stores are located in Tokyo, London, Paris, Berlin, and Milan.
Developers Who Won Apple Watch Purchase Lottery Receiving Emails With Order Instructions [iOS Blog]
Earlier this week, Apple began sending out emails to iOS developers, offering them a chance to purchase a 42mm Apple Watch Sport with a Blue Sport Band guaranteed to ship by April 28, 2015. Apple had a limited number of devices to provide to developers, and used a lottery system to determine who would get the chance to purchase one of the available watches.
Developers who registered for a chance to buy one of the watches with a guaranteed delivery date and won the lottery have just begun receiving emails with purchase instructions. Apple is asking winners to complete a purchase by 5:00 p.m. local time on April 27 to take advantage of the shipping date.
It’s not known why Apple only offered 42mm Apple Watch Sport models with Blue Sport bands, but it can be assumed that the combination may have been one that the company had an ample supply of. Apple is providing developers with watches in an effort to give them devices to test Apple Watch apps on.
A guaranteed April 28 ship date means developers who purchase one of the available devices will receive an Apple Watch just a few days after customers who pre-ordered receive theirs.
Buyer’s Guide: Deals on MacBook Air, Retina MacBook Pro, Apple Accessories, and More [Mac Blog]
Tomorrow is the launch of the Apple Watch, so we’re doing our deals post a day early this week. On the eve of the Apple Watch release, deals are similar to last week’s — good, but not great. If you’re looking to buy an iPad Air 2, you might want to wait a week, but it’s an okay time to pull the trigger on a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, new or old.
Along with the standard discounts on Macs and iOS devices, we’ve also rounded up this week’s app deals and a few deals on some useful Apple accessories.
iPad Air 2
Best Buy continues to offer the lowest prices we’ve seen on a single iPad Air 2: the 16GB Cellular iPad Air 2 in silver is available for $499.99, $130 off its regular price.
B&H Photo is offering a small discount on all of its iPad Air 2 models, dropping prices by $30 to $50. With the discount, the 16GB WiFi only iPad Air 2 is priced at $469 and the 64GB model is priced at $569.
MacMall is also offering some discounts on iPad Air 2 models, dropping the prices by $30 to $50. With the discount, the 16GB entry-level Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 is priced at $459, while the Wi-Fi-only 64GB iPad Air 2 is available for $539. Discounts are higher on cellular models, with the 64GB Cellular iPads priced at $669. The deals are applicable to all three iPad colors.
iPad Air
Best Buy has a couple of original iPad Air cellular models available at low prices. The 16GB Verizon iPad Air is available for $379.99, and the 32GB Verizon iPad Air is available for $429.99.
Both Best Buy and B&HPhoto have deep discounts on some remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad Air models, as listed below.
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) – $549
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) – $499.99
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 64GB (AT&T) – $499.99
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) – $449
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 64GB (Verizon) – $566.99
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) – $449
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) – $579
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) – $559
iPad mini 3
B&H Photo is offering some modest discounts on various Wi-Fi only iPad mini 3 models, dropping the price by up to $50. The 128GB iPad mini 3 in silver is available for $549, while the silver 64GB model is available for $439. The 16GB space gray model is priced at $349.
iPad mini 2
Amazon has a few iPad mini 2 models available at discounted prices. The 16GB Cellular Verizon iPad mini 2 in Silver is available for $323.50. The 16GB Cellular Verizon iPad mini 2 in Space Gray is available for $359.89.
Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Amazon also have remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad mini 2 models, which are a good deal if you’re looking for an iPad mini. Compared to the iPad mini 3, the iPad mini 2 only lacks Touch ID.
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) – $445
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) – $429
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 64GB (AT&T) – $399.99
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) – $399.99
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) – $434.97
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) – $534.99
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) – $429.99
iMac
– 21.5-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,189, $110 off
– 21.5-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,389, $120 off
– 27-inch 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,689, $110 off
– 27-inch 3.4GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,794, $205 off
– 27-inch 3.5Ghz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (B&H Photo) (MacMall) (Amazon) – $2,349, $150 off
Mac mini
– 1.4GHz/4GB/500GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $464.99, $34 off
– 2.8GHz/8GB/1TB (MacMall) – $934.99, $64 off
MacBook Air
– 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB – (B&H Photo) (Adorama) $824.99, $70 off
– 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB – (Best Buy) (Amazon) (B&H Photo) (Adorama) $1044.99, $50 off
– 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $949.99, $50 off
– 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $1,139.99 $60 off
– 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (Adorama) – $719.99, $180 off
– 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $899, $200 off
– 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $819, $180 off
– 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo)- $1,029, $170 off
Retina MacBook Pro
– 2015 13-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) – $1,424.99, $74 off
– 2015 13-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/512GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) – $1709.99, $90 off
– 2014 15-inch 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,799, $200 off
– 2014 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (Adorama) –$2,249, $250 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/128GB (B&H Photo) – $1,129, $170 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/256GB (Adorama) – $1,249, $239 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.8GHz/8GB/512GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,549 $250 off
Apps
There are quite a few apps that are on sale at discounted prices or available for free for a limited time. We’ll highlight a few here, but make sure to check out our sister site AppShopper for a complete list.
Half Marathon Trainer Pro is available for free, down from $9.99. 10K Trainer Pro is also available for free, down from $1.99. Board game Bang! is available for free, down from $1.99. Pandemic is available for $4.99, down from $6.99.
djay 2 for iPhone is available for free this week, down from $2.99, and djay for iPad is also free, down from $9.99.
Apple Accessories
Groupon is selling the Griffin Survivor Case for iPhone 5/5s for $11.99, down from $49.99. The MyCharge Hub 9000 Power Bank is available for $64.99 from Amazon, down from $139.99. Incase is offering a free Portable Power 2500 USB battery pack with a $150 purchase using the code POWERONUS15.
DailySteals has a 3-pack of Apple Lightning cables for $26, a decent deal as a single cable usually costs $19. Woot has the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Folio for the iPad Air 1 and 2 for $59.99, down from $99.
Groupon’s running a big Apple event and selling a range of Apple products and accessories at discounted prices, including the LifeProof Fre case for the iPad Air, Apple EarPods, Speck MacBook cases, MagSafe chargers, Mophie battery cases, and more. Totallee is offering MacRumors readers 25 percent off all iPhone case orders with the promo code MACRUMORS.
LivingSocial is offering customized iPhone photo cases for $6.99 to $11.99, a significant discount off the regular $29.99 to $59.98 price tag. Woot has the Lifeproof Fre case for the iPad Air 1 for $49.99, down from $129.
MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.
Which is the better gaming device, the Galaxy S6 or the iPhone 6?
There’s no denying that the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Apple iPhone 6 are two of the best smartphones on the market right now – not only when it comes to aesthetics, but also performance. Samsung’s Exynos 7420 processor backed by 3GB of RAM definitely gives Apple’s A8 processor with 1GB of RAM a run for its money. But when it comes to gaming, which device comes out on top? The folks over at GameBench put the Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6 to the test to find out which device is the better gaming smartphone.
The GameBench team picked a series of ten high-end games to run on each device in hopes to find out which smartphone would run the smoothest while achieving the highest average frame rate. The games used in this test consisted of Boom Beach, Kill Shot, Marvel: Contest of Champions, Modern Combat 5, Dead Trigger 2, Real Racing 3, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Asphalt 8, XCOM: Enemy Within and Monument Valley. For a bit more context, they also included performance results for the Nexus 6 and HTC One M9.
As you can see from the graphic above, Apple’s iPhone 6 was the clear winner in this test when it came to performance and stability overall. GameBench explains:
The iPhone 6 tended to run games more smoothly, with a higher average frame rate that was very stable and rarely dropped below 30fps. The Galaxy S6 came a pretty close second, with a greater frequency of performance bottlenecks that pushed the framerate below the 30fps threshold.
The HTC One M9 and Nexus 6 came in third and forth place, respectively. Both of these devices showed serious performance slow-downs in some games.
Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Apple iPhone 6
.rvs_wrapper
width: 335px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
.rvs_wrapper
width: 100%;
text-align: center;
#page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
display: inline-block;
float: none;
vertical-align: top;
It’s worth noting that these types of tests should be taken lightly. Each device performs differently under separate circumstances, and even the slightest outlier can throw off the entire test. While these specific tests don’t explain exactly why the iPhone 6 outperformed the Galaxy S6, they still give us a good idea as to how exactly these devices will perform in everyday life. GameBench notes that due to the Galaxy S6 running games at a higher resolution than the iPhone 6 (1080p versus roughly 720p), that could cause the Galaxy S6 to produce lower scores. Additionally, a game has the potential to be better optimized for one platform over the other.
If you invest your hard earned cash into any one of these devices, odds are you probably won’t be too upset when it comes to gaming performance. If you’re interested in learning more about these tests, head to the source link below for some more information.
Apple Watch App Store is ready to equip your device upon arrival
If you’ve already ordered Apple’s smartwatch, it should arrive sometime in the next few weeks. To prep for that delivery, the App Store’s selection of Watch-specific apps is available for browsing on the web or with that trusty iOS device. The Wall Street Journal reports that over 3,000 software options now reside in iTunes, ready to outfit the wearable with tools for keeping tabs on scores, fitness data, news, social channels, payments and more. Of course, if you haven’t secured one yet, you won’t be able to nab the gadget at your local retail store tomorrow, so you’ll have to wait until it arrives by mail.
Filed under: Wearables, Software, Apple
Source: Apple
TestFlight Updated to Support WatchKit Apps for Apple Watch [iOS Blog]
Apple today updated TestFlight with support for WatchKit apps on Apple Watch and minor stability and performance improvements.
TestFlight is a beta testing service that enables developers to seed pre-release versions of their apps to select individuals for testing.
The official App Store for Apple Watch apps went live earlier today.
AIVAnet 